Corvus
Corvus is one of the most southern-most provinces of Kyth, bordered to the east by Elacs, the west by Kine, the north by Rindfell, and to the south by the country of Courdon . This rainy, warm region is governed by House Jade, and is well-known for its high concentration of mages and magic and its people's respect for tradition and devotion to Wooism. History Sorry, Everett, I'll fill this in later! Love, Tiger Houses The Houses take their colors from the phoenix ridden by their House founder; primary color is listed first, tip-color second. Each House rules a small chunk of territory, though the lords of all Corvid minor Houses report to House Jade. Individual Houses are responsible for handling local issues in their territory, and ensuring its wellfare in general. To further this end, each House maintains a contingent of knights and fireknights (the later's mounts being descendants of the House's original phoenix), though some may maintain larger forces than others. Geography and Climate Fantasy Florida, aw yeah 8D Rivers *Kingfisher River - Runs past Solis and Araydian; fed by the Crown Basin. *Egret River - Runs roughly equidistant between Araydian and Scorzen; fed by the Crown Basin *Ibis River - Passes near Raylier , Scorzen , Nid'aigle , and Kolanth. Known to the elves of Nid'aigle as the Silver River. Also flows through Medieville. Lakes *Crown Basin - A highly elevated and very deep lake that supplies the Kingfisher and Egret rivers *Lake Icarus - A moderately-sized lake near Iscaria. *Lake Heron - A large lake between Iscaria and Raylier. Flora and Fauna Fauna Corvus is home to a number of animal species, some of them unique to the province. Not all animals in Corvus can be found everywhere in the region, with some animals sticking to the southern swamps and others preferring the more forested or open northern areas. Mammal species include wolves, pumas, black bears, deer, bobcats, rabbits, foxes, wild boar, otters, and beavers. Birds are abundant in Corvus, particularly those who live or hunt in water, such as ospreys, herons, whooping cranes, egrets, pelicans, geese, ducks, and kingfishers. More generalized birds also exist in the area, including great horned owls, eastern screech owls, several hawks and kites, a few falcon species (including merlins, peregrine falcons, and and kestrels) jaybirds, crows, vultures, and many songbirds. Also worth mentioniong are the region's phoenixes - these large, semi-sapient raptors are found only in Corvus, hatched from eggs obtained by the original founders of the region. Most phoenixes live in fireknight mews of the noble Houses, but some have left for the wild to escape the emotional trauma of losing dozens of fireknight partners within their immensly long lives. Corvus has an unusually large number of reptiles, many of whom inhabit the swampy regions of the south. Most noteable are alligators, which make the swamps incredibly dangerous for the unwary. Numerous snakes are native to Corvus, and in areas close to the Elacs border, large constrictors may cross into the region. Additionally, Corvus is home to wyverns, clever pack-hunting animals with some resemblance to dragons, as well as dragons proper. Wyverns are nonsapient, but dragons, who tend to keep their distance from humans, may have some level of natural intelligence similar to phoenixes. Corvid dragons are still quite dangerous when rabid or provoked, of course, and are capable of breathing fire and using their huge size to cause a great deal of damage. (Note that these dragons are not the same variety as Kaldora Verdana, who comes from an alternate dimension) There is a wide variety of fish, crustaceans, and other marine life in Corvus as well, to the point where cities such as Raylier base a large part of their economy on the catching, preservation, and exportation of fish. Humans have introduced many animals to the region, though few do very well in the wild. Domesticated animals include livestock such as sheep, cattle, goats, and pigs, service animals like horses, pet cats and dogs, and falconers' raptors. Corvus is home as well to some unique and difficult-to-classify creatures of magic, such as the Will-O'-the-Wisp, a creature that appears as a floating light and lures people into dangerous parts of the swamp. Flora Corvid plants range from the common to the exceptionally magical. Cyprus trees and mangroves are extremely common, particularly in the swamps. Northern regions may posses many unique wildflowers. Citrus crops grow quite well in Corvus, particularly very sour fruits like lemons and oranges; Corvus' fairly even day-night temperatures produce sweeter citrus fruits. In elevated areas of Corvus, vineyards are a not-uncomon sight. These grapes, carefully protected from over or underwatering (often with the aid of magic) will eventually become Corvid wines. Fall-ripening varieties are most common, as these grapes can ripen in the cooler Corvid autumns, rather than the sometimes intensely-hot summers. Corvus is also home to many plants, both wild and cultivated, that can be used in potion-making and/or have inherently magical properties. Some of these plants see exportation to other regions, but largely see their use among the mages of Corvus. One very important plant is used in a potion to treat maleria, a disease that Corvus would have severe problems with if there were not a treatment. Noteable Locations Houses of Nobility *Jade Manor Mage Colleges *Saint Nephrite's Academy of Sorcery - Based in Solis and named for Saint Nephrite, the missionary who first converted the Jade family to Wooism. *Iphicles Institute of War Magic - Based in Heleos and named for the founder of House Escalus. Noteable for training warmages. *Khotan Academy - The alma mater of the infamous "juice mage" from Party Capital The Ash Road A long and well-maintained road that goes through much of Corvus and leads to lands beyond. Though generally considerd the safest for travel, it is not without its potential dangers, bandits and flooding among them. Knights and fireknights both regularly patrol the road in an attempt to minimize the danger of bandits as much as possible, and some parts of the road may have wards alongside the trail to keep minor floodwaters at bay. Nid'aigle See fulll article: Nid'Aigle Nid'aigle, located in the south-east of Corvus near the Elacs border, is the last city of elves of their kind in Kyth. They made a treaty with House Jade many centuries ago, agreeing to follow Kythian laws, pay Corvid taxes, and send knights from their army to aid House Jade when needed, in exchange for peace, permission to live as they had before (with the exception of some Wooist missionaries flooding into the city), and perhaps most importantly, protection from the Courdonian slaveraiders. Foreign Relations Other Kythian Provinces Bern - Political and ideological rival >C Probably other regions will go here, maybe along with their imports. Or maybe not. Who knows? Courdon Relations between Corvus and their southern neighbors have always been tense at best, the devout Wooists rather at odds with the Carriconist slavelords. The two share a border and so they must cooperate in some ways, but neither region has any fondness for the other. Corvus is a popular target for slave-raiders, especially the city of Nid'aiagle and its long-lived elven citizens, despite a treaty between Courdon and Kyth that forbids such activitities. In turn, however, Corvids often chose not to honor their half of the treaty, which states they must return escapd slaves to Courdon. Their antagonistic relations, however, have to simmer under the surface, as neither kingdom wishes to make war. Diplomatic relations must be kept as much as possible. Many Corvid nobles, especially those in the border Houses (Escalus, Oberon, Cressida, and Andesine), learn at least some High Courdonian as children. Trivia *Both Corvus and Solis' names were taken from suggestions for the name of the city that would eventually become Medieville. *All ten major Corvid city names are based on a word that has to do with the sun, heat, or astronomy. House names, by contrast, have no particular theme (though names of gems and bird genuses occur in more than one House) Category:Regions